Fragile
by Pen name should be here
Summary: Bella Swan moved to Forkes to escape her past. Will Edward discover the horrifying secret she is hiding, and save her from it killing her in the present? Cannon Pairings
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Boring legal stuff: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. Hey guys! Sorry to everyone who is waiting for updates on my other stories, they haven't been abandoned but...I'm having trouble getting inspired on them. My little brother passed away two months ago now following a long battle with terminal cancer, and I'm struggling. Anyway, hope you like this one, thanks for reading, please review! love xx Shezzi

"I'm going, Mom," I told her firmly, shoving the last few clothes into my bag. "I can't stay here anymore. I just…I need to get away from Pheonix."

"But Bella, it's Forkes. You hate Forkes!" Renee came back at me with the same argument she had been using for days.

"I think…maybe I'll like it more, now," was all I said. "I can't stay here. I'll be fine, and this way you can go back on the road with Phil without worrying about me."

"And what about your treatment?" demanded Renee.

"There are doctors in Forkes, Mom, there's an entire hospital. And it's not like I don't know my schedule."

"And what about the side effects?" demanded Renee.

"They're manageable. And it's not like being there is going to change them. And…I want to spend some time with Charlie, too," I admitted softly. I hadn't seen my dad much, and I wanted to spend time with him before…before college, I told myself firmly. That was all, before college.

Renee sighed, finally seeing that simply continuing the argument was not going to change the outcome. "Phil's got the car ready. Your flight leaves in an hour."

I followed her out of the room, swinging my bag up on my shoulder, double-checking that my pills were in the side pocket where I could access them easily.

The ride to the airport was strained, and Phil dropped us at the terminal, leaving to find a car park. Renee followed me to the gate, watching as I checked my luggage and took my boarding pass.

"Be good for Charlie. Please be careful with your medication, make sure you don't…" she trailed off, and I nodded.

"I will, mom. And I'll email, and text, and call, I promise. I have to go now." She nodded and pulled me into a tight hug, releasing me with tears standing in her eyes. I smiled tightly at her, then headed for the gate.

I sat in the uncomfortable airline seat, staring out the window as I deliberately blanked on everything, refusing even to daydream. Such behaviour was dangerous, and I couldn't afford to have an…episode on a plane.

I was brought out of my reverie by my watch buzzing on my wrist. I pulled my bag from under my seat, and took out my tablets and a bottle of water. I swallowed all four in quick succession before stowing the medications back in my bag. These were what ruled my life now. Going out? Make sure you have enough doses with you! Wake up in the middle of the night so as not to miss your scheduled dosage! At school? Have to leave the classroom to pop pills, and doesn't that make for a fun social life.

Then, there were the side effects. And weren't those fun! Nausea, upset stomachs, aches and pains, all things that the doctors had assured me would go away in a few weeks, a month at the most, but they hadn't. I had lost weight, I knew, and I had to take dietary supplements just in an effort to keep my body even slightly balanced.

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully as I ignored any attempts at communication from my fellow passengers and the flight attendants. Soon enough, I was on the smaller plane on my way to Port Angeles, and finally, I was in the dingy little terminal at the airport, standing with my bags and waiting for Charlie.

"BELLS!" I was sure that his bellow would have woken the dead. He grabbed me before I had even turned around, lifting me off my feet in a huge hug. I forced down the immediate of surge of terror/pain/anger/need to escape that this action brought about and made myself smile for him as he set me down, turning to face him.

"Hi, Ch…dad," I said, grinning.

"So, is this everything?" he asked, glancing at the two medium sized suitcases I had in addition to my carry on duffle bag.

"All of my life that I wanted to bring here from Pheonix, yep," I replied, even as he took the two suitcases and started leading the way out of the terminal.

Most of the trip to Forkes was made in comfortable silence. We were just coming within the town limits when Charlie started to speak.

"So, I've got you enrolled at Forks High," Charlie told me, "You'll start there tomorrow. And I contacted the hospital, you have an appointment tomorrow, I think it's during school, maybe the last period? I wrote you a note. Anyway, your appointment is with Doctor Cullen, he's going to be your doctor here. He said something about establishing baselines, whatever that means."

"Okay," I replied softly, studying my hands in my lap.

"Oh, and one last thing," Charlie said slowly as we approached the street I could still remember. "I kind of bought you a car, I hope you like it." He turned into the street and I could see the house and…

"Dad, it's awesome!' I exclaimed, joyful, as I stared at the huge old red pickup in the driveway.

Charlie's delighted grin split his face, but he quickly damped it down and muttered something about it being no big deal. As soon as he brought the cruiser to a stop, I was out and running one hand down the faded red paint on the bulbous hubcaps. Now, here was a car that could survive me, a tank of a truck, not one of those little Japanese plastic things that look like they would fall apart if you bumped them wrong.

"Thanks, dad," I said softly, walking over to where he was pulling my bags out of the car and did something I had not done in six months and deliberately initiated contact with a male, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing slightly before backing away.

The next morning, I was up, dressed and out the door in plenty of time, thanks in part to my fantastic drug regime that gets me up at four in the morning. I winced as the rain came down, and quickly climbed into the high cabin of my truck and turned on the engine, startling slightly at its incredibly loud roar. For all that I had once hated the rain, Forkes with its 300-day a year cloud cover was definitely a better match for my mood these than sunny Phoenix had been.

I found the school without any problems, and was glad to see that the age and quality of my car wasn't really going to make me stand out here.

I parked quickly and made my way across the lot, keeping my head down to avoid the curious stares of the other kids. I wished that I could have made this move three months ago…but three months ago…I still couldn't think about three months ago. My hand drifted to my abdomen briefly before I forced it back to my side, refusing to give in to weakness.

I climbed the wet steps leading up to the office carefully, not wanting to slip and embarrass myself in front of everyone.

In the office, I was met by an overly exuberant woman. "You must be Isabella!" she exclaimed loudly. "I'm Miss Cope, if you need anything, dear, just let me know. Now, I've got your timetable here," she handed over one piece of paper, which I began to look down. It all looked fine until last period.

"Ummmm…Miss Cope?" I said softly, disturbing her as she searched through her desk for something else she apparently needed to give me.

"Yes dear?" she asked sweetly.

"I…I can't take PE," I said, trying to sound firm, but it came out more pleading. This hadn't been a problem in Phoenix, where PE was only mandatory for the first two years, but apparently it would be here.

"Do you have a doctors note?" she asked, looking closely at me.

"Umm…no, but this afternoon I have a doctors appointment at that time, and I'll have a note after that," I told her, pulling Charlie's note excusing my early departure out of my pocket and handing it to her.

"Come back to me with the note and we'll put you into another class at that time. Now, here is a map of the school and I need you to get this form signed and bring it back to me before you leave. Okay?"

"Fine," I grated out, feeling my patience quickly running out.

"Well, you have a good day, dear," she chirped at me as I exited the office as fast as I could, turning in the general direction everyone else was traveling.

The morning passed fairly uneventfully; I had already done all of the reading for English, Spanish was far simpler than it was in Phoenix simply because it wasn't taught by a native speaker, and I had only been forced to embarrass myself by a teacher once. History was uneventful but at least kind of interesting,

At lunch, I sat with one of the girls from my English and Spanish classes, Jessica, who turned out to be the school gossip determined to bring me up to speed on everything and at the same time find out what my story was, which was never going to happen.

I was sitting, wishing for the period to be over already, picking at the unappetizing food in front of me, knowing it would probably be making a return trip in about an hour anyway when I hit my 'scheduled' nausea time.

I caught a sudden movement at the corner of my eye, and turning, saw a group of students walking into the cafeteria…but what students. They were gorgeous. I was about to ask Lauren about them when my watch started buzzing, telling me I had two minutes to take my meds before I missed my dose.

"Jess," I interrupted her gently. "I have to go, there's something I have to do, I'll see you later?"

"Sure," she replied, looking at me oddly but waving me off. "Have a good afternoon."

"You too," I replied, making my way out of the cafeteria and towards the nearest bathroom, where I quickly took my tablets and my dietary supplements.

I was just exiting the bathroom when the warning bell rang, and I headed off to my next class, and for today last class, biology. I got there just before second bell rang, and approached the teacher to get him to sign my form. He did so, then directed me to the only empty chair in the room…a chair next to one of the five students I had noticed at lunch.

It was the boy with bronze hair, his pale skin almost glowing in the shadowy light thrown from the windows, and he was gorgeous. He was staring at me oddly with his golden eyes, as though I was a puzzle he couldn't seem to solve, but his face shifted as I moved closer, and he smiled softly as I sat down.

"Hi," he said softly as the class started. "I'm Edward Cullen."

"Bella Swan," I replied, smiling slightly at him before we both turned our attention to the lesson. There was no practical today, just a lecture on various stages of cell division, which I had already covered, but I took meticulous notes anyway.

I had to leave right at the end of class to make it to my appointment on time, and in my hurry I caught my foot on the corner dropped my books all over the floor.

I knelt to collect them, and was surprised with a smooth, white hand entered my field of vision and started helping me, moving faster and more gracefully than I could ever have accomplished.

"Here," he said softly, taking my arm to help me back to my feet and handing them to me.

"Thanks," I said softly.

"So, what class do you have now?" he asked as we walked towards the door, the last ones out of the room.

"Oh, I actually don't today, I have somewhere I have to be."

"Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow," he told me, and I was just turning to go when one of the things I should have been prepared for hit me. I normally made a habit of being in or near a bathroom at this time of the day, since my nausea was something I could almost set a clock by, but I had been distracted and delayed by my rather charming classmate.

I felt the nausea build, and glanced around desperately before darting to a nearby trashcan and bringing up the remains of my lunch. Fortunately, except for Edward and me, the hallway was already clear.

Before I could think any further on that, another wave of nausea gripped me, and I retched, clinging hard to the edges of the can.

"Bella?" Edward sounded concerned, and a moment later a cold hand was brushing my hair back from my face, coming to rest on the nape of my neck, and another was supporting my forehead. They felt wonderful against my suddenly hot skin as I coughed and retched up the minimal contents of my stomach.

It finally stopped, and I slowly straightened, breathing hard, and shook off Edward's comforting hands as I took a bottle of water out of my bag. My hands were shaking as I took a swig, rinsing my mouth out and spitting it into the bin.

"You need to go to class, you shouldn't get it trouble," I told Edward, who just gaped at me as though he thought I was insane.

"I'm not leaving you here alone!" he told me, even as he took his bag and mine and reached for my arm. "You need to see the nurse!"

"I'll be alright, besides, I have a doctor's appointment," I told him firmly. He reached for my arm again, to take it and guide me somewhere, and I flinched away, avoiding the contact, unable to completely hide the wince at his action. "Really, I'm fine, this is nothing to worry about," I told him desperately.

He pressed his lips together, then nodded in acquiescence. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he asked, and I nodded, waving as I headed for the front of the school. I was going to have to hurry if I wasn't going to be late for my appointment. I rushed through the office, giving Miss Cope my form, then out to my truck.

I got into the seat and sat for a moment, breathing hard. I couldn't believe that that had just happened. And he touched me and…nothing. I didn't start panicking, not until he reached for my arm that last time.

I remembered how cold his hands had been on my skin, how clean and…comforting the contact had been. I shook my head and turned my attention to the road, determined to make it to my appointment on time.

The hospital, unsurprisingly, wasn't far from the school. I pulled into the lot and parked, then made my way inside, clutching my bag to me as though it would somehow protect me.

The smell hit me as the door opened and I wrinkled my nose. It didn't matter how much time I spent there, the smell of hospitals still got to me. It never had before, neither had the smell of blood for that matter. I had thought about becoming a doctor, I had wanted to work with children, but now I couldn't even do that, and the idea of spending so much time with what I couldn't have brought me nothing but pain.

I made my way through the waiting area and approached the nurse, who smiled gently and told me to take a seat and Doctor Cullen would be right with me.

I was just starting to wonder if there was a connection between my new doctor and the oh so gentlemanly Edward when he appeared and answered my question for my. No way could two people look that alike and not be related, I mean they even had the same unusual eye colour!

"Isabella," he greeted me gently, holding a hand out to shake. "Welcome to Forkes. My office is down here."

"It's just Bella," I told him softly as I followed him down the hall, and he nodded, smiling gently at me. He led me into the office and motioned me to take a chair on one side of the desk, as he circled around to sit opposite.

"I received your file from your previous physician. For now, I want to take a viral load count, and maybe see if we can do anything to help with the trouble you've been having with the side effects."

I nodded, familiar with the drill by now. I should be. I had been HIV positive for six months.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't think this is something I will do all the way through, but I thought it might help the story along a bit if I gave Edward's perspective on their first meeting. So here it is. Hope you enjoy! love xx PNSBH

I got out of the Volvo, barely able to keep my growls inaudible as I glared at Alice, who continued to sing 'I Kissed A Girl' in her head. Loudly. In as many languages as she could manage.

It wasn't like I was deliberately trying to read her thoughts; I wasn't. I didn't care at this point, but whatever she had seen had her so excited that she was worried she would leak it to me…so she was keeping it completely to herself.

I made my way into the school building, doing my best to ignore the teenage ramblings that surrounded me on all sides. I heard several excited comments about a new girl, and wondered idly if she had anything to do with Alice's excitement. Upon hearing the thoughts of several of the boys in Junior year, I was already feeling sympathetic for this girl. She was going to beating off their attentions with a stick.

I didn't really think of her again as I sat through my morning classes, then met up with my siblings, including the still SINGING Alice for lunch. She had progressed onto 'Girlfriend' at this point, and it felt like my brain was going to melt out of my ears.

"Alice, I'm begging you," I hissed through my teeth, but she just giggled and switched to Russian.

We were at our table at this point, and I scanned the room to see if I could spot this new girl, if she shared our lunch period.

When I saw her, it felt like the Earth stopped moving. She was gorgeous; chestnut brown hair, pale skin, and the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, a gloriously rich brown that I felt like I was going to drown in as they met mine briefly.

A second later, she was looking down at her wrist; I could hear an alarm going off on her watch, then she was apologizing to Jessica, who had probably been trying to fill her ears with the school gossip, and left the room, throwing what looked like the majority of her lunch in the bin as she went.

I was left staring after her, her eyes still burning into mine from that single glance. I was startled out of my reverie by Alice's delighted laughter.

"Now, wasn't that worth waiting for?" she demanded, even as the bell rang and we had to head to class. She stuck her tongue out at me as she took Jaspers hand and headed off.

I was seated at my solitary table in biology, trying to ignore Mike Newton fantasizing about…Bella. That was her name, not that I would call her that until she introduced herself to me.

As though my thoughts conjured her, she appeared in the doorway and made her way quietly over to the teacher, getting him to sign something. He handed her a textbook and pointed towards me, but I was somewhat distracted at this point. I had just realized something else about this amazing human, something I hadn't had time to realize in the cafeteria; I couldn't hear her thoughts. She was walking towards me now, staring in what I imagine was the same manner I was gaping at her in the cafeteria and again now, at least a little bit.

I was bracing myself for her scent, but when it hit me, it was odd. The scent of blood was there, sure enough, and so sweet, but overlaying it was a variety of harsh chemical scents, and another odd scent, one that I couldn't identify at all, that overshadowed the scent of the blood and made it completely unappetizing. But what were those chemicals? They weren't ones that I could identify immediately, but they were vaguely familiar.

I realized as she came closer I was probably making her nervous with the way I was looking at her, and smiled a welcome. She took the seat next to me, the only empty one in the room, and turned to face me.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen," I said softly.

"Bella Swan," she replied, smiling back at me before turning her attention to the lesson.

I sat and pretended to follow along, even as my mind turned over the different parts of the puzzle, trying to see how they could possibly fit together. Well, that and I just spent the period staring at her, marveling at how beautiful she was.

As soon as the bell rang, she was gathering her books and heading for the door…in a little too much of a hurry, as her foot caught on her chair and she caught herself on the edge of the table, scattering her books and pens over the floor.

I quickly started helping her pick up her things, helped her up off the floor and handed them to her, waiting as she slipped them into her bag, then walked beside her as she exited the room.

"So, what class do you have now?" I asked. 'Please say study hall,' I thought, wanting another period sitting beside this intoxicating creature.

"Oh, I actually don't today, I have somewhere I have to be," she replied.

"Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow," I have stated, half asked. She nodded, smiling as she turned to go, when her face suddenly paled, taking on an almost greenish cast.

Before I quite realized what had happened, she had darted across the hallway to the nearest bin and was retching violently into it, panting for breath.

"Bella?" I asked, concerned. I was by her side in an instant, gently sweeping her hair back from her face with my left hand, settling it carefully on the nape of her neck, and placed the other on her forehead, two fingers on her forehead as I monitored her pulse while trying not to listen to her heartbeat from this close up, however unappetizing she smelt.

I was terrified that I was going to hurt her, but she finally got herself under control and straightened, shaking my hands off. She took a bottle of water out of the side pocket of her bag, her hands shaking and rinsed her mouth out, spitting the foul remnants into the bin.

She glanced at me then, gratitude and concern clear on her face. "You need to go to class, you shouldn't get in trouble," she told me.

I gaped at her, shocked. She actually expected me to just walk away after that? Apparently she did.

"I'm not leaving you alone," I told her firmly as I took her bag as well as my own, slinging them over my shoulder as I reached for her arm. "You need to see the nurse!"

"I'll be alright, besides, I have a doctor's appointment," she said, her tone firm. She flinched away from my reaching hand. It hurt, the way she moved away from me, but I forced it down. "Really, I'm fine, this is nothing to worry about," she insisted, her voice rising in desperation.

Yeah, right, of course I didn't. But I nodded and held my peace. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" I asked instead, and she nodded before heading down the hall towards the office.

I waited until she rounded the corner, then followed on silent feet, wanting to make sure that she got where she was going safely.

I followed her to the office, then out into the car park, being very careful to stay out of sight.

Once she was in her truck, she sat for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought, then started it up with an obnoxiously loud roar and pulled out.

Rather than take the car and risk drawing her attention to the fact she was being followed, he slipped after her on foot, waiting until he had seen her enter the door of the hospital before turning back to the school, mind churning with questions, and no idea on what to do in order to find the answers.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey all, new chapter, hope you like! sorry it took so long, can't promise it won't again (That's what happens when you study two languages at university level) love xx PNSBH

I walked out of the front doors to the hospital and into the afternoon rain with a new prescription for yet another anti-nausea medication, new scripts for my ARVs and instructions to get several new non-prescription dietary supplements.

I had lost weight again, a couple of kilos since my last appointment. Physically, I was bordering on anorexic weight levels for someone my size, not that there was much anyone could actually do about it, it wasn't like I did this to myself on purpose.

I climbed into the cabin of my truck, laying the papers on the passenger seat, and started the engine, heading for the pharmacy. While I had enough meds to get me through the next week, this wasn't Phoenix. In a town this size, the pharmacy would need several days, probably, to actually get the drugs in.

I climbed out of the truck, wishing for an umbrella as water ran down the back of my neck. I sheltered the pages from the rain as best I could and ran inside, stumbling over the step up to the door, and into the warm room.

I gave my scripts to the pharmacist and was told what I had expected: it would take them at least three days to actually fill them. Until then, I would be stuck with what I had on hand. I collected the dietary supplements that Carlisle had recommended, as well as top ups for several of my vitamins, and paid for them quickly before leaving the store, avoiding the knowing and pitying stare from the pharmacist.

I climbed back into the truck, shivering slightly, and headed for home.

I was exhausted by the time I climbed out of my truck and headed for the front door, worn out by the long day, which is probably why I missed seeing the extra car parked in front of our house.

When I opened the door, the wave of sound and the smell of pizza almost sent me tumbling. I swallowed hard against the renewed surge of nausea and, setting my shoulders, walked into the house. Charlie was sitting on the couch, with his friend Billy sitting in a wheelchair beside him, and Billy's son Jacob, who I have vague memories of playing with sitting with them, all three watching whatever sporting match was on.

"Hey dad," I called over the TV, and Charlie turned in his seat.

"Bells!" he grinned at me. "Come and say hi to Billy and Jacob, you remember them, don't you?" he muted the TV, but didn't switch it off.

"Of course I do, dad, how could I forget? Hi Billy, hi Jacob," I waved at them both without really moving, not wanting to get any closer to the smell of the pizza than I absolutely had to.

"Hi Bella," Jacob waved at me and I grinned weakly back.

"Come and have something to eat," Charlie told me, waving the pizza box in my direction, thus bringing about my undoing for the second time that day. Feeling my stomach finally decide that yes, it was going to rebel, I clapped a hand to my mouth and rushed for the trashcan in the kitchen. I only made it as far as the sink, bracing myself against the edge as my stomach heaved and heaved again, expelling the dried fruit I'd eaten in the car on the way home, and then kept heaving.

I felt Charlie's hand on my back as he murmured gentle encouragement, and the shudders began to diminish, then finally stopped. "Sorry," I croaked as I turned on the tap with a shaking hand, splashing the water around the sink then rinsing my mouth carefully.

"Nothing to be sorry about, kiddo. Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm just going to go up to my room, get away from the smell. I'll see you later, dad," I let him wrap an arm around my shoulders and give me a quick squeeze, then made my way to the stairs with a wave to Billy and Jacob. "Sorry we can't catch up now, but you guys enjoy the game, alright?"

"You'll have to come out to the rez some time," Billy told me, and I nodded.

"I'd like that," I said, surprised to realize it was the truth. If I had moved out here a year ago, it probably wouldn't have been, but now, hanging out on the Reservation, with its quiet beaches, forests, mountains and lakes just sounded…peaceful. I could use some peace. I climbed the stairs quickly and, deciding that I was too worn out for anything else, changed and climbed into bed, setting my alarm clock. Tomorrow would be another day.

The day started out much the same, including the trip to the office to speak with Ms Cope.

"Well, dear, that all seems to be in order," Miss Cope said, although she looked decidedly curious about why I needed to be let off sport. "There's a study hall running in that period, you can go there."

"Thanks," I said, taking my updated timetable from here, and headed out to my locker. I managed to dodge several questions about where I'd been the previous afternoon, and knew that once people found out I wasn't doing any PE, they'd have another thing to whisper about. Eventually, I would probably end up as isolated here as I was in Pheonix, even if no one figured out my secret.

I shuffled through my morning classes, exhaustion pulling at me like an anchor, weighing me down. One of the hardest things to accept was the fact that, because I was getting so little energy into my body on a daily basis, I just couldn't concentrate very well. I was used to school being easy, but it just wasn't any more because I had to force myself to concentrate every second, even as I felt like I was falling asleep.

I was grateful that my schedule happened to fall in such a way that I didn't have class when I had to take my pills. That would suck; leaving class every day to dose yourself meant that people couldn't help but notice. Going to the bathroom during your lunch break? Totally explainable.

I sat in the cafeteria, forcing myself to eat as much of the less than appetizing food as I could, nodding along to Jessica's conversation, then excused myself to visit the bathroom once again.

I slipped into the biology classroom early and sat at my desk, doodling on the inside cover of my notebook. I heard the door creak softly and looked up, expecting the teacher, but Edward Cullen slipped in instead. He smiled softly as he crossed the room on silent feet, folding himself into his seat with an almost unnatural grace that made me burn with envy.

"Bella, it's good to see you again. I hope you're feeling better?"

"I'm alright, thanks," I replied, uncomfortable with the question because I was a terrible liar, and I knew it. Edward glanced down at what I had been doodling and frowned slightly.

"What's that?" he asked, curious, and I glanced down, not at all certain what exactly I'd been scribbling. I felt a blush rise in my cheeks as I saw what was there – I'd started keeping a list, what some would call a 'bucket list' of things I wanted to do.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, flipping the book to hide it, and he seemed to let it go.

"So, you moved from Pheonix, right? What's it like there?"

"Sunny," was my immediate response, with a rueful grin at the rain running down the window. "Warm, dry, bare. Very little green."

"Did you like it there?"

"Yes, and no. I needed to g…to come up here," I stopped myself from saying 'get away', not wanting to sound like I was doing exactly what I had been – running away. Instead, I took a deep breath and rolled out the cover story that had enough truth in it for me to be comfortable with. "I wanted to spend some real time with my dad before college and mom…she got remarried. Phil's a great guy, but he's a ball player and he's always on the road. I didn't want to keep mom anchored to the house, and it seemed like a good opportunity to spend some time with my dad before…college." I prayed he hadn't noticed the momentary pause, and he didn't seem to have, so a breath a completely internal sigh of relief. "Do you like it here?" I asked him then.

"Yes," he replied, glancing out the window at the cloud filled sky and smiling slightly as though at a private joke. "It suits me very well."

Before we could talk any more the bell rang and people began filing in to class. I unpacked my textbook and set up my side of the desk, and turned back to find Edward regarding me with a faintly amused, but also curious expression on his face.

"That's very…neat," he said tactfully, and I blushed, ducking my head. I heard Edward's soft chuckle before the class was called to order, and had to stifle a flash of annoyance.

We were doing practical today – identifying different stages of cell division, a prac that I had already done in my AP course in Florida, although not with onion root. The two of us made short work of it, taking turns with the microscope, Edward recording all of the results because I was embarrassed about how my handwriting would compare to his beautiful cursive script.

After class I stood slowly and stretched before putting everything back in my bag.

"So, what class do you have now?" asked Edward.

"She has gym," spoke up another voice from behind him, a guy who had been sitting at my lunch table, but whose name currently escaped me. "Come on, Bella, I'll show you where it is. Where did you go yesterday afternoon?" he took my arm in a proprietary gesture and I jerked away, his touch repulsing me and sparking fear in my chest, fear that I kept a very tight check on.

"Actually," I replied coolly, trying to shrug off the incident, "I don't. I have study hall." The guy, whose name I now remembered was Mike, looked at me oddly but then shrugged and left the room.

"Are you alright?" asked Edward, looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"Fine," I replied, brushing a hand over where he had grabbed me as though trying to remove the memory of the contact. "I just don't like being touched, is all."

He just nodded, then gestured for me to precede him to the door. "We have study hall together," he told me softly, and I nodded.

"I just need to…" I gestured towards a bathroom sign and turned in before he could say anything. I locked myself in a cubicle and knelt on the floor, panting. The fear was still there, and I tried to force myself to relax. He hadn't hurt me, hadn't intended to hurt me, but try telling my fear scared psyche that. My stomach was beginning to roil and I thought longingly of the new anti-nausea medication that wouldn't arrive for several more days, the one Carlisle thought would be much more effective.

I leant over the toilet, the remnants of my lunch revisiting me as my body shook with the force of my heaves. Once it stopped I stood, flushing the toilet, wiping my face and rinsing my mouth before leaving the bathroom. Edward was still leaning against the wall beside the door, and he looked me carefully up and down when I exited, as though he knew what had happened. He looked for a moment as though he wanted to say something, but instead settled in beside me and we walked to study hall.

Unfortunately, a different teacher than normal was in charge of study hall today (so Edward told me by note) and we couldn't talk, even quietly, unless we were working on a group project. I didn't mind to much, I was tired and had a headache so I took out my somewhat battered copy of Romeo and Juliet and pretended to be reading it for English, turning a page every couple of minutes so that I at least looked like I was accomplishing something. Edward kept shooting me little sideways glances like he knew what I was doing, but he didn't say anything.

I was glad to get away from his stare, something about it unnerved me. It was like he thought that if he just stared at me long enough he would be able to crawl inside my head and understand me, understand my secrets.


End file.
